Lacrosse net

ABSTRACT

A modified form of a lacrosse net provides increased adherence, integrity, and “give” as a result of a coating applied to the fibers. In one form, the fibers are manually coated by brushing them with a natural latex mixture followed by evaporation of the volatile components, which gives the coated fibers a tacky and energy absorbent nature. The soft nature of the coating may also aid in dissipating energy during impact with the ball, and this could contribute to the sense of increased “feel.” There are many natural and synthetic polymers that might be capable of delivering similar benefits, including conventional synthetic elastomers, e.g., butyl rubber. Thermoplastic elastomers are a growing field of interest in coating technologies, and with the appropriate tuning, they can be made with all of the same properties as the natural rubber coating. A brush-on method delivers the desired coating thickness and properties, but other methods, such as dip coating and spray coating, may increase feasibility for scaling-up the process. In one arrangement, the entire fiber is composed of a rubbery material. The resulting properties may not be exactly what is desired, however, because the underlying integrity of the nylon fiber would be absent, and this might result in netting with a “springy” feel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

N/A

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to netting for lacrosse sticks and, inone of its aspects to material or a coating material for the netting.

2. Description of Related Art

Netting for lacrosse sticks are made of many materials, but typicalmaterials are leather or nylon. The different materials give a differentfeel to the stick and netting during play.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A modified form of a lacrosse net provides increased adherence,integrity, and “give” as a result of a coating applied to the fibers. Inone form, the fibers are manually coated by brushing them with a naturallatex mixture followed by evaporation of the volatile components.Natural latex is essentially a mixture of small natural rubber particlessuspended in water with the aid of a surfactant. When the aqueous mediais evaporated after application, the remaining coating is composedlargely of natural rubber, which in addition to providing the expected,albeit small (due to the integrity of the underlying nylon fibers),increase in elasticity, also yields a fiber finish with an increasedcoefficient of friction, giving rise to the “tacky” feeling that resultsin increased ball control. It is important to note, however, that thetacky nature of the coating does not cause it to be overly “sticky,”such that it would become quickly obscured by dirt or other foreignmaterials. Rather, a nice balance is present.

The tacky and energy absorbent nature of the modified fibers providesthe greatest benefit over the conventional technology in which thenetting is composed of either leather or uncoated nylon. The tackinessresults from the rubber coating generally existing at a temperatureabove its glass transition temperature (T_(g)) during normal use. Froman application point of view, this is the temperature above which anatural or synthetic polymer transforms from a hard, often brittleplastic, to a soft, malleable, and often tacky material. Because roomtemperature is well above the T_(g) of natural rubber, the fibers arecoated with a material that provides the observed tackiness andelasticity even when wet. The soft nature of the coating may also aid indissipating energy during impact with the ball, and this couldcontribute to the sense of increased “feel.”

There are many natural and synthetic polymers that have T_(g) valuesbelow room temperature and might be capable of delivering similarbenefits. In general, conventional synthetic elastomers, e.g., butylrubber, can offer some of the same advantages, provided there is anapplication method that is equally facile. Thermoplastic elastomers area growing field of interest in coating technologies, and with theappropriate tuning, they can be made with all of the same properties asthe natural rubber coating. The benefit of thermoplastic elastomers liesin that fact that they are completely synthetic, relatively inexpensive,easily-processed, and, most importantly, can be precisely tailored forspecific properties through variation of composition. While the naturallatex coating is inexpensive and can be applied easily, thermoplasticelastomers can be prepared with a finely-tuned balance of elasticity andtackiness in order to impart a combination of properties that approachesthat of an ideal coating. More generally, a coating composed of anypolymer that provides increased fiber integrity, elasticity, andtackiness, regardless of T_(g) or elasticity would be a candidate forthe coating.

Regarding the method of application, a brush-on method certainlydelivers the desired coating thickness and properties, but other methodsmay increase feasibility for scaling-up the process. Certainly dipcoating and spray coating are attractive because they are fast and couldbe incorporated into a continuous industrial process. By varying theconcentration and/or viscosity of the solution from which the coating isapplied, it may be possible to control the thickness of the coating. Toa limit, a thicker coating would dissipate impact energy moreefficiently and give a better sense of feel.

In one arrangement, the entire fiber is composed of a rubbery material.The resulting properties may not be exactly what is desired, however,because the underlying integrity of the nylon fiber would be absent, andthis might result in netting with a “springy” feel.

These and other objects, advantages and features of this invention willbe apparent from the following description taken with reference to theaccompanying drawing, wherein is shown a preferred embodiment of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a lacrosse net according to the presentinvention, with a brush applying a coating according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an alternative embodiment of a lacrosse net according to thepresent embodiment; and

FIG. 3 is yet another alternative embodiment of a lacrosse net accordingto the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawing, and in particular to FIG. 1, a modifiedform of a lacrosse net according to the present invention, referred togenerally by reference numeral 10, provides increased adherence,integrity, and “give” as a result of a coating 12 applied to the fibers14 on one side applied by brush 16. In one form, the fibers are manuallycoated by brushing them with a natural latex mixture followed byevaporation of the volatile components. Natural latex is essentially amixture of small natural rubber particles suspended in water with theaid of a surfactant. When the aqueous media is evaporated afterapplication, the remaining coating is composed largely of naturalrubber, which in addition to providing the expected, albeit small (dueto the integrity of the underlying nylon fibers), increase inelasticity, also yields a fiber finish with an increased coefficient offriction, giving rise to the “tacky” feeling that results in increasedball control. It is important to note, however, that the tacky nature ofthe coating does not cause it to be overly “sticky,” such that it wouldbecome quickly obscured by dirt or other foreign materials. Rather, anice balance is present.

The tacky and energy absorbent nature of the modified fibers providesthe greatest benefit over the conventional technology in which thenetting is composed of either leather or uncoated nylon. The tackinessresults from the rubber coating generally existing at a temperatureabove its glass transition temperature (T_(g)) during normal use. From atechnical point of view, the T_(g) is the temperature at whichsufficient kinetic energy is present to facilitate segmental motion oflong chain molecules (polymers). From an application point of view, thisis the temperature above which a natural or synthetic polymer transformsfrom a hard, often brittle plastic, to a soft, malleable, and oftentacky material. Because room temperature is well above the T_(g) ofnatural rubber, the fibers are coated with a material that provides theobserved tackiness and elasticity (though there are other considerationsthat factor into the latter) even when wet. The soft nature of thecoating may also aid in dissipating energy during impact with the ball,and this could contribute to the sense of increased “feel.”

There are many natural and synthetic polymers that have T_(g) valuesbelow room temperature and might be capable of delivering similarbenefits. In general, conventional synthetic elastomers (e.g., butylrubber) can offer some of the same advantages, provided there is anapplication method that is equally facile. Thermoplastic elastomers area growing field of interest in coating technologies, and with theappropriate tuning, they can be made with all of the same properties asthe natural rubber coating. The benefit of thermoplastic elastomers liesin that fact that they are completely synthetic, relatively inexpensive,easily-processed, and, most importantly, can be precisely tailored forspecific properties through variation of composition. While the naturalrubber coating is inexpensive and can be applied easily, thermoplasticelastomers can be prepared with a finely-tuned balance of elasticity andtackiness in order to impart a combination of properties that approachesthat of an ideal coating. More generally, a coating composed of anypolymer that provides increased fiber integrity, elasticity, andtackiness, regardless of T_(g) or elasticity could be considered.

Regarding the method of application, a brush-on method employed so farcertainly delivers the desired coating thickness and properties, butother methods may increase feasibility for scaling-up the process.Referring now to FIG. 2, an alternative embodiment of a lacrosse netaccording to the present invention is referred to generally by referencenumeral 20. Certainly dip coating and spray coating 22 of fibers 24 areattractive because they are fast and could be incorporated into acontinuous industrial process. By varying the concentration and/orviscosity of the solution from which the coating is applied, it may bepossible to control the thickness 16 of the coating. A thicker coating(to a limit) would dissipate impact energy more efficiently and give abetter sense of feel.

Referring now to FIG. 3, yet another embodiment of a lacrosse netaccording to the present invention is referred to generally by referencenumeral 30. A coating 32 is applied to individual fibers 34 prior totheir being made into a net. In this embodiment the fibers would havesimilar properties to the prior embodiments but could have some relativemotion between the fibers.

In one embodiment, the entire fiber is composed of a rubbery material.The resulting properties may not be exactly what is desired, however,because the underlying integrity of the nylon fiber would be absent, andthis might result in netting with a “springy” feel.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is well adaptedto attain all of the ends and objectives hereinabove set forth, togetherwith other advantages which are inherent to the apparatus.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are ofutility and may be employed without reference to other features andsubcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of theclaims.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention withoutdeparting from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matterherein set forth or shown in the figures of the accompanying drawings isto be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

SEQUENCE LISTING

Not Applicable

1. A lacrosse net comprising netting material and a coating applied tothe fibers, wherein the net provides increased adherence, integrity, and“give” as a result of a coating applied to the fibers.
 2. A lacrosse netaccording to claim 1, wherein the fibers are manually coated by brushingthem with a natural latex mixture followed by evaporation of thevolatiles.
 3. A lacrosse net according to claim 2, wherein the fibers ofthe net are substantially coated on only the inside of the net.
 4. Alacrosse net according to claim 2, wherein the fibers of the net aresubstantially coated on both the inside and the outside of the net.
 5. Alacrosse net according to claim 1, wherein the net materials are coatedprior to making the net.
 6. A lacrosse net according to claim 1, whereinthe fibers of the net are substantially coated on only the inside of thenet.
 7. A lacrosse net according to claim 1, wherein the fibers of thenet are substantially coated on both the inside and the outside of thenet.
 8. A lacrosse net according to claim 1, wherein the entire net issubstantially coated.
 9. A lacrosse net comprising fiber nettingmaterial and a substantially natural rubber coating applied to thefibers, wherein the net provides increased adherence, integrity, and“give” as a result of a coating applied to the fibers.
 10. A lacrossenet according to claim 9, wherein the fibers are manually coated bybrushing them with a natural latex mixture followed by evaporation ofthe volatiles.
 11. A lacrosse net according to claim 10, wherein thefibers of the net are substantially coated on only the inside of thenet.
 12. A lacrosse net according to claim 10, wherein the fibers of thenet are substantially coated on both the inside and the outside of thenet.
 13. A lacrosse net according to claim 9, wherein the net materialsare coated prior to making the net.
 14. A lacrosse net according toclaim 9, wherein the fibers of the net are substantially coated on onlythe inside of the net.
 15. A lacrosse net according to claim 9, whereinthe fibers of the net are substantially coated on both the inside andthe outside of the net.
 16. A lacrosse net according to claim 9, whereinthe entire net is substantially coated.
 17. A lacrosse net composedentirely of a material wherein the net provides increased adherence,integrity, and “give” as a result of the material.
 18. A lacrosse netaccording to claim 17, wherein the material is natural rubber.
 19. Alacrosse net comprising leather or uncoated nylon netting material and acoating applied to the fibers, wherein the net provides increasedadherence, integrity, and “give” as a result of a coating applied to thefibers.
 20. A lacrosse net according to claim 19, wherein the coatingcomprises substantially natural rubber.